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Brett Hundley Barely Avoids Quarantine Overseas

Backup quarterback cut travels short due to coronavirus

QB Brett Hundley, an extensive world traveler shown here on a past trip to Peru, was nearly quarantined overseas due to the coronavirus.
QB Brett Hundley, an extensive world traveler shown here on a past trip to Peru, was nearly quarantined overseas due to the coronavirus.

Brett Hundley is an avid world traveler, so staying home indefinitely isn't an idyllic offseason situation.

But things could have been much worse for the Cardinals' freshly re-signed backup quarterback.

Hundley was hours away from boarding flights to South Korea and Spain during his overseas vacation in recent weeks, but hastily changed his plans both times as the coronavirus cases shot up in each country. After the second close call, Hundley chose to cut his escapades short.

"It was crazy," Hundley said Wednesday on a videoconference from his home. "… I didn't want to get quarantined or anything like that, so I headed straight back to the states. My friend actually went, and he got stuck because Spain put all of the restrictions that Italy had, where everything was locked down. He just made it back a little bit ago, into the U.S. So I sort of got saved twice."

Hundley ran into another hurdle upon his arrival in Arizona, one that has become a common issue for shoppers around the country.

"I had nothing at my house, so I had to go to the grocery store," Hundley said. "There was nothing there, so I went at like 6 in the morning, and there was a line about a mile down the street just to get in. You're running and gunning, and for the people who couldn't run and push around people to get some paper towels and toilet paper, it sucked."

A semblance of normalcy is now setting in for Hundley. He was an impending free agent while all this was going on, but agreed to return to the Cardinals on a one-year deal this week.

It will be Hundley's second season with the team as he is again projected to be the backup to Kyler Murray.

"It was another good opportunity to stay where I wanted to stay, be where I wanted to be, be around family and friends and stay in the offense I wanted to stay in," Hundley said. "This offense allows me to do everything that I can do, utilized to the best of my abilities. I love working with these guys: Kyler, Kliff (Kingsbury) and the whole coaching staff."

Hundley and Murray have developed a solid rapport, and that chemistry is important in the highest-profile position group.

"You don't go in as the older guy trying to be big and bad," Hundley said. "I think it was a natural progression of him figuring me out, me figuring him out. And then the relationship sort of built that way. I don't try to force anything, and I think Kyler is an awesome guy, an awesome man. He did some great things last year, and I can't wait to see what he does Year 2."

Hundley assimilated well upon his arrival to the Cardinals, and this is usually the time players begin touching base in advance of their return to offseason work. However, the coronavirus has altered those plans for everyone in the NFL and beyond.

"With everything going on, it sort of creates a weird dynamic of, you're not seeing anybody," Hundley said. "It's hard to say, 'Hey, you guys, if you want to come over to the house, let's have a barbecue.' You can't really do any of that. So it's been a little tricky."

While Hundley must navigate that uncertainty moving forward, at least he's doing it from the comfort of his home. He can still go for runs outside – his preferred mode of cardio – and play MarioKart on his Nintendo Switch.

He audibled quickly during his vacation and knows more changes may be on the horizon.

"I remember when I left on my travels, it wasn't nearly close to doing interviews like this or having to wait in line for stores to be able to get in because of social distancing," Hundley said. "… There are a lot of differences, and a lot of things we have to take into account. I think people are really understanding that. But we'll get through it."

Images of the Cardinals who have agreed to re-sign with the team this offseason

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